Mercedes’ George Russell is concerned that running a 24-race season next year in Formula 1 won’t be “sustainable” for those working within the series in 2024.
During the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix weekend and Las Vegas the week before there was a lot of talk of the strain put on the entire F1 paddock thanks to the record 22-race schedule.
In 2024, the series is set to add two more events – with the return of the Chinese and Emilia Romagna Grands Prix – bringing the calendar to a scheduled count of 24.
Russell, who had battled illness during the Abu Dhabi weekend, was asked his thoughts on how the inflated roster would affect the well-being of all members of the paddock.
“I think the drivers, we have it best from every single person in this paddock, the way we travel,” he answered. “We’re in a very fortunate position.
“But everybody up and down the paddock – I’ve got so many mechanics who are ill, people in the engineers’ office, just really struggling with the constant time zone shifts, the body not knowing where you are, eating at different times, staying in different hotels, different environments, different climates.
“The body’s getting confused.”
Whilst concerns of fatigue race to the forefront of F1 paddock members’ minds, there are less than 100 days until the next season gets underway in Bahrain.
With next season looming on the horizon, Russell spoke of measures that could be taken to mitigate the risk of staff fatigue throughout the campaign.
“I think there are talks for next year about personnel being regulated that they can’t do every single race,” Russell added. “I think that would be a good thing.
“I don’t think it’s sustainable to 4,000 people, I think it is, to do 24 races a season, especially when you see how geographically it still doesn’t make a huge amount of sense.”
Formula 1 has worked hard to group races better from a geographical sense to help its push to a more sustainable future, but the consideration of how people react physically and mentally to a gruelling 24-race calendar appears to have been an afterthought.
This is exemplified by the fact that the 2024 season will conclude with a triple-header across Vegas, Qatar and Abu Dhabi, something many drivers have voiced concerns about.
